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O2 customers are about to be cut off from BT Wi-Fi hotspots. Despite forging a new 4G partnership together, the two companies are ending their deal for O2 customers to use BT Wi-Fi — formerly known as BT Openzone and BT Fon — from 1 July.
That means if you’re on O2 you’ll now have a choice of 8,000 free O2 hotspots across the country — a different selection to the 5 million or so BT hotspots across the country.
O2 customers can still go online for free while chowing down, getting their hair did or just hanging out at McDonald’s, Debenhams, Costa Coffee, All-Bar-One, House of Fraser, Café Rouge, Toni & Guy, and at O2 shops.
O2 has informed customers by email and set up a website to help you update your settings. To stop your phone trying to connect to a BT hotspot every time it detects one, like a spurned lover forlornly trailing an ex around town, go into the Wi-Fi settings of your phone or tablet and delete or forget any BT Openzone hotspots.
BT Wi-Fi has such a huge network because hotspots are built into every BT router. In return, if you’re a BT customer Wi-Fi is free when you’re out and about.
I’ve asked both O2 and BT for more information — which was the first BT’s PR team had heard of it, surprisingly. Update: O2 says that its customers were previously only able to access selected BT Openzone hotspots anyway, and no BT Fon hotspots. The network says “more partners” are being added to the O2 Wi-Fi network.
BT is making some big moves at the moment: as well as free Wi-Fi access, BT customers will also get BT Sport channels to rival Sky Sports. There’s a new dual-band BT Home Hub router making an appearance, and you can bag a free YouView box with your broadband.
And 4G is next on BT’s list. O2 and BT part ways on Wi-Fi even as they join forces on 4G: in a 10-year deal, BT will build the back end of O2’s 4G network ready to launch this summer.
How do you get your Wi-Fi when you’re out and about? Does O2’s decision leave you high and dry when it comes to Wi-Fi? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our wireless Facebook page.
